The Power of Weakness [Day 8]
By Sarah Lackenbauer
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:8-10 NIV)
In high school, everyone in my youth group was asked to select a life verse. I chose this one because at the time I had just been saved after a heavy year of dangerous depression and was finding joy in life with Christ. What I didn’t realize, however, was how this selection of God’s Word actually chose me. Throughout my life, I have—like many of us—gone through several hard things. Each time I faced a new season of pain, I—like every flawed human might—started the process by trying to fight it myself. “If I could just control this thing, everything will get fixed” might be a familiar phrase. But every time, I fell on my face. Literally. In college I was facing an unknown illness and fainted several times when no one was around and had to wait for help to get back to my bed from the hallway or bathroom. It has only ever been when I finally let go of my control issues and asked God to enter into my weakness, fear, pain, and doubt that I’ve been able to get back up. Typically the thought comes to me that God’s always been right there when I was just facing away, and it feels like a new revelation even though it’s happened SO MANY TIMES. After my brother died, I was so angry and avoided church for months because of the awkwardness in my youth group. It wasn’t until I went back to church in the main sanctuary that I heard the song “You Never Let Go” by Matt Redmond, and it brought me to snot-level tears remembering that when I’m weak, God is with me and strong for me, and I can keep on.
Life is hard, especially during the uncertainty of COVID-19. Things can get heavy to carry emotionally, physically, and spiritually. We can walk through this season and find some levity with the gifts we’ve been given, but that is only the beginning of how much our God is capable of! God is strong when we aren’t because when we open up about our struggles, His power can be seen through us while He also helps us. Our weakness magnifies the Lord through our testimony, and we are called to boast in our weaknesses, in the ways we need Him. Like a candle burning inside a broken mug, the light shines through the cracks and lights up more of the room than before.
Think back to a season of struggle in your life. How did God work in that situation to bring you out of the darkness? Think about another struggle. Now another. How many times has God been there holding you up when you’re weak? How many times has God’s name been lifted up through that part of your story? Like the song “Do It Again” by Elevation Worship, we’ve seen God do it before, and we’ve got to believe that He will do it again. Thank God for our weakness!
Prayer
God, You created the stars and put them in the sky just so that we could enjoy them. Glorious is Your name! Your kingdom is wondrous. We thank You for Your work in our lives here on earth, and we pray that we would be doers of Your Word to bring that kingdom here. Jesus, give us Your strength as we face today and all that it brings. Guide us to You and away from our own desires. Spirit, heal our hearts from the wounds of past hurts, and help us to forgive those who hurt us, just as You’ve forgiven us. Deliver us from the evils of this world and the need to control everything around us. You are the God of strength, grace, and glory. May we glorify Your name by telling of Your power in our weaknesses forever. Amen.
